MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS-DEFENSE/. The Kalashnikov Group produces various types of machine tools and weapons, in particular, small arms, guided missiles and drones, and also analyzes the current situation in the field of military hardware development and introduces changes to its products, Group President Alan Lushnikov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily.
Responsibility for entire industry
"In fact, the Kalashnikov Group represents the country's entire small arms industry," Lushnikov said, adding that the group produced 95% of combat weapons and 50% of civilian weapons, taking into account civilian imports. Thus, the Kalashnikov Group is responsible for the entire small arms industry.
Speaking about the current situation, the group's president noted that the company was actively transforming to meet the needs that have arisen due to the special military operation in Ukraine. The unprecedented sanctions have forced the Kalashnikov Group to deal with problems concerning the supply of spare parts and at the same time improve products and their operational characteristics. In addition, the development of new products continues. "The task to increase efficiency and diversify [the production] has not faded into the background but has become more acute," he added.
According to Lushnikov, the Kalashnikov Group has been tasked to ensure the country's technological sovereignty in conditions of disrupted supply chains and global economy clustering. This situation is a challenge not only for the country as a whole, but also for such a large enterprise as the Kalashnikov Group.
According to the group's president, the talk is about the production of not only machines or tools, but also microelectronics.
Speaking about the supply of microelectronics, Lushnikov said that there were no problems with the supply of civilian microchips. He added that attempts to isolate Russia from the global electronic component market were a utopia.
According to the group's president, military and civilian products account for 79% and 21% of the Kalashnikov Group's revenue, respectively. The export of combat weapons is taken into account as well.
Machine tool production
Lushnikov called his company "multifaceted and diversified." According to him, the Kalashnikov Group produces various components for industrial enterprises, 90 percent of which fully cover the domestic needs and the remaining 10% go to the foreign market. If the company sees a demand for a specific tool, an investment project will be prepared and the production range will be expanded, the group's head said.
As Lushnikov said, there is a demand for machine tools produced by the Kalashnikov Group. The group's machines also go to the foreign market. According to Lushnikov, sales grow by 70-80% annually. To increase production volumes, machine tools must feature increased quality and accuracy. This is the goal the Kalashnikov Group is trying to achieve.
Vikhr-1
The Kalashnikov Group specializes in the production of weapons, including new models. In particular, the Kalashnikov Group has upgraded the Vikhr-1 antitank guided missile. On May 26, 2021, it was reported about a successful test of the improved missile. "During the tests, 22 missile launches were carried out from a Kamov Ka-52 Alligator reconnaissance and attack helicopter at a testing range of the Russian Defense Ministry," the report said.
In July 2021, it was reported that missiles of this type would become part of the armament of the Mil Mi-28N attack helicopter manufactured by the Rostov-based Rostvertol Plant (part of the Russian Helicopters Group). The company also expressed its readiness to adapt the munition to a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by the Kronstadt Enterprise.
Loitering munitions
According to Lushnikov, the advanced loitering munitions manufactured by the Kalashnikov Company have been showing their effectiveness in combat operations. It was reported in June that they had been successfully used during the special military operation in Ukraine. "Drones are being mainly used to destroy remote ground targets. At the same time, the Lancet has a high level of self-sufficiency and carries an optoelectronic system that allows it to detect targets and hit them independently," he said.
Responding to criticism of the allegedly limited capabilities of the drones to hit moving targets, Lushnikov emphasized that the KUB drone was not designed to engage them. According to him, it uses the known coordinates, taking into account GPS and GLONASS data. He added that the Lancet drone was controlled by the operator in the same way. "It is more effective to use the system against stationary targets and not against moving ones, which is due to the technical peculiarities of the drone's operation," he said, calling this a feature of the munition.
Speaking about the group's approach to the development and implementation of technical solutions for drones, Lushnikov noted that the Kalashnikov Group, together with the customer, analyzes possible threats and proposes tactics to combat them. Taking into account the tasks to be accomplished, technical means and competencies are worked out. According to him, it is possible to develop the most advanced weapons, but at the same time it is necessary to teach how to use them.
As the group's president said, the tactics of modern armed conflicts have changed radically. As Lushnikov said, this is "a systemic issue, not the merit of the Bayraktar." He recalled that half a century ago, the reconnaissance and target designation system was formed around a paper map, a compass and a radio station. Now it is "a combination of distributed sources of information, artificial intelligence and digital networks," which is currently changing the military sector. "The future of military operations will be most likely associated with the confrontation of systems that use physical, digital and electronic warfare means," he supposed.
In this context, the company believes that it is necessary to continue the development and production of tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in particular, loitering munitions and reconnaissance drones. Lushnikov also said that the company had no plans yet to develop large attack drones.
Russian-Indian joint venture
"The joint venture has already started working," Lushnikov said, speaking about the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited joint venture, where the Russian side is represented by the Kalashnikov Group and the Rosoboronexport state arms seller.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the creation of a joint Indian-Russian venture for the production of Kalashnikov rifles in March 2019. The joint venture Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) for making the AK-203 rifle was set up near the city of Korwa, Uttar-Pradesh. The Indian armed forces are expected to get about 670,000 AK-203 rifles, including 600,000 to be made at the IRRPL plant. India is to become the first country to begin the production of the AK-203 outside Russia.
About drones
The Lancet-3 is a UAV produced by the ZALA Aero Company (part of the Kalashnikov Group within Rostec). It has X-shaped fins and a piston engine. It weighs 12 kg and carries a 3 kg payload to destroy light armor. The flight endurance is 40 minutes. The Lancet-3 was successfully tested in Syria. Dozens of Lancet-3 drones were used there to destroy buildings, fortifications and vehicles of terrorists there.
The KUB drone was developed by Russia's ZALA Aero Company. The drone carries a 3 kg payload, has flight endurance of 30 minutes and a maximum speed of 130 km/h (80.8 mph). The KUB loitering munition successfully passed state tests in November 2021.